1. Area of the Art
This invention relates to the field of package and article carriers. In particular, this invention relates to portable containers for film cartridges.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Photographers have used various devices in the past for carrying cartridges or rolls of film after the film is exposed and before it is developed. Exposed film cartridges have been carried in the photographer's pants or coat pockets, pockets sewn into or onto a camera or photographer's bag, ditty bags, waist bags, and the like.
Professional photographers frequently expose many cartridges or rolls of film in a short period of time. For example, sports photographers may expose dozens of rolls or cartridges of film while covering a single sporting event. As a result, these photographers need a readily accessible container for carrying cartridges of exposed film. The professional photographer must be able to remove the exposed film cartridge from his or her camera, put it into the container, and load an unexposed cartridge in a short period of time. Professional photographers prefer to use a special container for storing the exposed film cartridges in order to keep separate the cartridges that are exposed from those that are not exposed. In addition, the exposed film container may be handed to a runner to be taken to a developing facility for immediate development of the exposed film. The exposed film container should therefore be readily accessible to the photographer's hands by being attachable to the photographer's equipment, vest or waist belt. It should be detachable so that it can be given to a runner.
In the past, professional photographers and some amateurs have used belt pouches or pockets as containers for exposed cartridges. These typically are bags made of cloth that are attachable to a belt or strap by means of sewn-on loops of cloth. These bags have zippers that permit access to the interior of the bags, openings with drawstring closures, or closure flaps secured by hook and loop fastening strips. Such pouches provide secure enclosures for the exposed film cartridges when their zippers, drawstrings or closure flaps are properly secured. This is important because the photographer may have to run to obtain a good position for taking photographs, especially in fast-moving sporting events such as football games. The pouches that have been used previously are not, however, easy to open or close with one hand and thus take some time to open and close.
What is needed, therefore, is a container or pouch for exposed film cartridges that allows quick, one-handed insertion of exposed film cartridges yet securely contains the exposed film cartridges even when the photographer is running or climbing. In addition, an exposed film container or pouch should have means for permitting it to be carried by the photographer at a convenient position with respect to the photographer's body so that the photographer may easily reach it in order to insert exposed film cartridges.